On-Demand Course

View Important Policies and System Requirements for this course.

INSTRUCTOR: Andrew C. Yung, P.E., CFM

Course Length: 12 Hours

Purpose and Background

With the nation’s aging infrastructure becoming more and more a focus of serious attention, concerns over dams and levees across the United States are beginning to arise. Many involved with design, operation, and maintenance of these types of structures may not realize their legal responsibilities. Who is responsible for maintaining existing dams? What are the causes of a failure? What are the consequences of a failure? Who is responsible if a dam fails? What can be done to prevent failure? How is a dam/levee inspection performed?

The objectives of this on-demand seminar will be to identify the current status of existing dams and levees in the United States, to learn the basic fundamentals of performing a dam/levee safety inspection, to learn how to perform a dam safety analysis and assess risks to levee freeboard, and to identify various rehabilitation practices.

Topics to be covered in this on-demand seminar will include a history of dams and levees, an overview of dam safety and levee criteria in the United States, identifying the consequences of failure, determining the safety of existing dams and levees, and developing techniques for rehabilitating aging dam and levee structures.

Participants will finish this on-demand seminar with a better understanding of the principles necessary to identify and mitigate the risks associated with a potential structural failure of dams and levees. They will be better able to identify potential problems in existing structures, understand the basics of dam safety/failure and levee freeboard/failure analyses, and identify means to rehabilitate a deteriorating structure.

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Course Outline

Dams

  • Introduction
  • Purpose & History
  • Types of Dams
  • Current Status
  • Legislation & Liability
  • Criteria
  • Failures

Levees

  • Purpose & History
  • Types of Levees
  • Criteria/Floodplain Issues
  • Failure
  • Hydrology & Hydraulics
  • Current Status

General

  • Inspection & Remedial Action
  • Emergency Action Plans
  • Rehabilitation Issues
  • Growing Concerns
  • Challenges Ahead
  • Case Studies
  • Security
  • Concluding Topics

How to Earn your PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.